Feb. 13, 2002
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Santa Clara University men's soccer team signed three players to National Letters of Intent for the 2002 season. Anthony Igwe, Jeff Scott and Ryan Wolfe all committed to attending the Mission Campus and playing for head coach Mitch Murray beginning with the 2002 season.
Igwe (pronounced IG-way) will come to Santa Clara from nearby Serra High School in San Mateo, Calif. While at Serra, Igwe has been a four-year starter for head coach Keith Strange and the Padres, leading them to the WCAL Championship in 2001 with a last minute assist in the title-game victory. He scored 10 goals as a freshman and 20 as a sophomore en route to numerous accolades, including the All-Mercury News Sophomore of the Year Award in 2000.
"Anthony has the potential to be a very dynamic forward for us," said Santa Clara head coach Mitch Murray. "He has scored a lot of goals in high school and with his club team, and has proven just how dangerous he is with either foot. He is very good in the air, which is something we haven't had for a while, but most importantly he is very composed with the ball."
Scott will graduate from Granite Bay High School in Granite Bay, Calif. in the spring before heading to the Santa Clara campus. While at Granite Bay he earned a NSCAA All-Far West Selection in 2001 along with an All-Sierra Foothill League Selection while leading Steve Fisher's GBHS team to the league title in 2001. He was named team MVP in both the 2000 and 2001 seasons, and was the team captain in 2001.
"Jeff is a dynamic player and gives us a left-footer in the lineup," said Murray. "He has the ability to play wide left or up front for us, which gives us some flexibility that we have not had the luxury of recently. He has a tremendous work rate and a very hard shot with that left foot. We are looking for him to come in right away and contribute."
Wolfe comes to Santa Clara from Laguna Beach High School in Southern California where he picked up many distinctive awards including the L.A. Times "Top Player to Watch" award during his junior season. As a sophomore he was named MVP for Andy Thomas' squad after leading the team with 15 goals scored. He was able to make an immediate impression at Laguna Beach as he entered the program as a freshman with the distinction of being the only player to start on the two-time defending CIF Champions that was not a returning letterwinner from the year before.
"Ryan has tremendous quickness and is very explosive to the ball," said Murray. "He will give us more versatility as he has the ability to play wide or up front. He is very tenacious and plays with great determination. We think that he will be able to step in and make a contribution right away for us."
